Chute.



-No."791,35 2. PATENTED MAY'30,1905.

' H. MARCUS. -1

GHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1902;

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

PATENTED' MAY 30. 1905.

H. MARCUS.

GHUTE.

APPLIOATION FILED we. 7, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 791,352. r

H. MARCUS. GHUTB, I APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENTED MAY 30, 1905.

UNITED STATEs Patented May so, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,352, dated May 30, 1905.

Application filed August 7, 1902. Serial No. 118,831.

T a whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, HERMANN MARCUS, en-

' gineer, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at 32 Karolingerring, Cologne, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chutes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to chutes for discharging and regulating or controlling the outflow of materials from silos, shafts, trunks, feeding-hoppers, and other receptacles.

One object of my invention is to utilize the mass of material flowingfrom the spout of a silo or other receptacle as a means for closing the discharge-aperture of the spoutby depositing a mass of material in a free pile with sloping sides between the discharge-aperture and a tilting plate which is held in normal horizontal position by suitable means.

Another objectofmy invention is to provide a series of such tilting plates or slides.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means for supporting and re leasing the tilting plate or slide.

My invention consists in certam novel features of construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 to 5 illustrate examples of the construction of the apparatus. Figs. 6 and 7 show the arrangement of the apparatus for the method of automatically discharging silos and the like. Figs. 8 to 12 show, on an enlarged scale, detail views of the apparatus shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

To the silo or other rece tacle 1, Figs. 1

a and 2, there is connected t' e outflow-aperture 2 in the well-known way. The closing of this a erture for the purpose of regulating the out iow of the materia from the silo is eflected by means of the tilting bottom plate 3, which is pivotally supported at ri ht angles to the axis a l) of the aperture be ow the same at the point 4. The material comlng from the silo bears upon the plate 3, and when the plate is horizontal the material has a slope or angle of inclination 00. As the support 4 is situated in the central axls a b of the silo, then in thehorizontal position of the plate 3 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) the pressure will be uniformly distributed on both sides of the plate. If the plate be turned on its axis 4, for example, into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the ma terial will flow off toward the right-hand side. Of course the flow can be made to take place to the right or to the left hand side, as desired, according as the plate is turned on its axis to one side or the other. When the plate is in a suitably-inclined position, there is an excess of pressure on the downwardly-directed side, and it is often also desirable to balance this pressure and to do so by means of a counterweight connected to the plate." In Fig l this counterweight 6, as also its supporting-lever 5, is shown in dotted lines. This lever 5 is mounted at right angles to the plate 3, so as to utilize the advantage of its weight 6, not coming into 0 eration when the plate is in a horizonta position, but only when the plate is inclined, and the more so the greater the inclination -of the platethat is to say, the greater the excess pressure onone side. Another advantage is that the plate can be inclined to one or the other side, as desired, so that the outflow can take place either on the right or on the left hand. In any case the counterweight will always balance the excess pressure, so that in turning the plate only the friction of the journals has to be overcomethat is to say, the requisite exertion of force is reduced to a minimum. It will depend on the size of the counterweight whether it will serve only to balance the excess pressure or whether it will overcome this pressure and will automatically return the plate back into its horizontal position. In the first case as soon as the plate has assumed a certain position it willremain in that position until it is moved back again by hand or by mechanical means; but

. in the second case a suitable retaining device must be employed to keep the plate in the inclinedposition, and when this device is released the plate will return automatically into the horizontal position. When it is desired that an operationfor example, the opening of the silo, but more frequently the closing of the sameshall take place rapidly in an automatic manner and it is desired to dispense with a counterweight of this kind, the entire apparatus can be modified in such a manner that the material will exert an excess pressure on one side of the plate in every position. This modification is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, where the pivotal center 8 of the plate 9 is arranged somewhat to one side of the central axis a b of the silo-aperture, so that the pressure of the material is greater on one side than on the other even when the plate 9 is inclined. As the plate will not by itself remain in the inclined position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, it is advisable to employ a retaining device, which in the form shown in Fig. 3 consists of a belt or rope 10, connected at one end at a point 11 to the plate 9 and at the other end can be wound up on a drum 12 by turningthe hand-wheel 13. The drum 12 also carries a ratchet-wheel 14, which can be engaged by a pawl 15 in order to keep the plate in its drawnup position. By operating the handle 16 of the pawl 15 the latter is thrown out of gear, and by the action of the excess pressure from the silo upon the raised side of the plate the plate will at once fall back into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and thus close the silo.

., When a number of silos each of which is capable of bein closed singly are arranged side by side, the arrangement is suitably made as shown in Fig. 5. In this case also it is advisable that the plates or slides 17, 18, and 19 shall open also by mechanical means, but shall be closed automatically by the pressure of the material or by means of a counterweight. The plate 17 has its pivotal center in the central axis a b of the silo, as shown in Fig. 1, while the plates 18 and 19 have theirs outside the center, as shown in Fi 3. Plate 17 is provided with a counterweight 17*, so that there will always be on one side an excess pressure which compels the plate when opened by mechanical means to return automatically into the horizontal position. In the case of the plates 18 and 19 there is no counterweight, because they are exposed to an excess of pressure of the material on one side by reason of their situation on one side of the bearing. It is obvious that it is advisable to provide stops which prevent the slides or plates when closing rapidly under the influence of the excess pressure from swinging past the horizontal position to the other side.

The actuation of the plate may be efiected in any desired manner. For example, as

shown in Fig. 5, the several plates may have levers 23, 24, and connected to them, which are guided in the slots 26 of a U-shaped iron 26, in which there is also mounted a block 27.

26 represents lugs on the sides of the apertures 2,,which act as stops for the levers.

A closed. or open rope or chain 28, provided at one end with a counterweight 29 and which is capable of being wound at the other end upon a drum 30, serves by rotating the drum 30 to move the block 27 in the U-shaped iron in such a manner as to turn the levers 23, 24-, and 25 on the centers 20 21 22, and thus move theplate 17,18,0r 19 into an inclined position. In Fig. 5 I show a detail section taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 5, to illustrate the U-shapcd iron.

The conveyer-belt 31. serves for conveying the material caused to flow out of the silo or other receptacle by means of the above-described closing devices and may be charged tov any desired length by the use of a suitable number of such closing devices.

If, as above mentioned, the mode of action of the above-described plates is employed for closing silos or the like by using a large num ber of such plates following each other in. series, then we have a method for the automatic discharge of the silos caused by the in fluence of theslope or inclination of the material piled up in the silo. So far as the slope extends the pressure of the material on a plate arranged below it will be irregular or non-uniform. The consequence of this is that the plate which is pi-votally supported in the center line of the siu'face that receives the pressure will place itself automatically by the unequal pressure-at an inclination-that is to say, will opena11d thus allow the material to flow out. Fig. 6 shows the best way of arranging the plates 32 side by side, which are suspended pivotally at the point 33. The plates are normally locked, so that they assume the horizontal position. As above stated, the materialbears with a slope or inclinationon the plates, and therefore so far as the slope extends a non-uniform or unequal pressiue is produced under the lower portion of the slope on the several plates, which are pivoted on their centers, Fig. 6, and this pressure on one side of the plate will. always be greater than on the other side of the plate, according to the hatched half of the pressure-line in. If theseplates arenot locked, they will open by reason of the unequal pressure and the material can flow out of the passage. The locking is preferably effected by means of cross-bars 34, which are fixed on slope- When the arrangement is such that the inner half of the plate is heavier, then the plates will close again automatically as soon as thematerial has run down to the next plate that is locked. If now the bars are moved farther on, so that the next following plate becomes free, this plate will open by the iruntil the last plate wasreached, because the slope shifts back from plate to plate, so that always plates in advance would experience this irregular load and would be opened by that action.

- Fig. 7 is a similar arrangement to that of Fig. 6; In this case the plates 37 are also suspended at points 38 and are intended to open automatically under the action of the material. The difierence in the two figures exists only in the manner in which the looking of the several plates can be best effected.

The locking shown in this case consists of cross-bars 39, which are guided over four. rollers 41 in ahoppcr-shapedbox, and thus unlock a plate each time, so that the said plate will open under the non-uniform pressure of the slope of the material. The shifting of the box or hopper is effected preferably by means of the rope 42, which is led over rollers 43. With this arrangement there may also be provided a-lever 44, which carries a counterweight 45 on one end and which serves with its other end, by the action of the counterweight, to open and to close the plate which happens to be unlockedthatis to say, to aid the action of the non-uniform pressure of the material, on one hand, and also the action of the non-uniform weight of the two sides ofthe plate, on the other hand. Such an arrangement becomes necessary occasionally-for instance, when particles of the material get in the slits between the several plates, andthus cause them to become jammed. When the box or hopper 40 is in the position shown in Fig. 7, the lever 44 will open the plate 37*, and when the box 40 is pushed farther on and the lever 44 is thus also moved farther on and as soon as its end which is in contact with the plate has slid past the center pivot of a plate it will compel said plate to close. Of course the lever 44 must be made to turn over or be removable, so as to allow the box 40 to be moved back under the plates, as otherwise the lever would get in between two plates and would prevent the box from being moved back.

The plates themselves are preferably constructed as shown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 8 to 12. Each separate plate, Fig. 8, consists of the halves p 19 of which the half 1) is made preferably hollow, so that in the unloaded condition the heavier portion 19 has always atendency to keep the plate in the horizontal closed position. The front 1)? and back 19 edges of the plate are beveled" off, so that the several platescan bear upon one another, and the side edges p p are made partly straight and partly beveled.

In this connection it should be noted that Fig. 11, which shows the formation of the side edges, is a section through the part p while Fig. 12 is a section through the part 1).

, It is to be understood that the walls K of the passage K, that serves to receive the plates, are 'made similar to the side walls 12 1), so that a tight joint is produced. In the middle+that is to say, at the pivotal center of the latesthe side walls are formed with ho ow bosses n, by means of which the plates can be pivotally suspended by means of the screws 5, as shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 9, which is a section through Fig. 6, shows the manner in which the cross-bars 34 effect the closure of the plate .and how they are preferably connected to the ropes 35 and guided. It may also be stated that r indicates a channel or groove which may conveniently serve for the further conveyance of the material which'is drawn off.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

v 1. A chute com rising a spout, a tilting plate of greater imensions than the. discharge-aperture of the spout and located at a distance beneath the spout and adapted to support a free pile of material with sloping si es, between the discharge-aperture and the tilting plate, for closing the discharge-aperture, and means for holding the tilting plate in normal horizontal position.

i 2. A chute com rising a spout, a tilting plate of greater imensions than the discharge-aperture of the spout, pivoted at one side, of the axis of the discharge-aperture and located at a distance beneath the spout and adapted to su port a free ile of material with sloping si es between t e discharge-a erture and the tilting plate, for closing t e discharge-aperture, and means for holding the tilting plate in normal horizontal position.

3. A chute comprising a series of spouts, a seriesof tiltin plates, each of greater dimensions than t e discharge-aperture of the .spout with which it is associated, and located greater dimensions than the discharge-aperture of the spout and located at a distance beneath the spout having aseries of tilting sections adapted to support a free pile of material with sloping sides between the discharge-a erture. and the tilting sections for closing t e discharge-aperture, and means &

for holding the tilting sections in normal horizontal position.

5. A chute com rising a spout, a tilting plate of greater imensions than the discharge-aperture of the s out, having a pivotal center, and locate at a distance beneath the spout and adapted to sup ort a free pile of material With sloping s1 es between the discharge-aperture and the tilting plate, for closing the discharge-aperture, and means for holding the tilting plate in normal horizontal position consisting of a lever secured to the pivotal center and an adjustable counterweight for balancing the tilting plate when discharging material.

In Witness whereof I subscribe my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMANN MARCUS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES LE SIMPLE, HENRY QUADFLIEG. 

